1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a motor control apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bicycle motor control apparatus that controls a motor installed on a bicycle. The invention also relates to a bicycle equipped with the motor control apparatus.
2. Background Information
In an electric powered bicycle that supplements a drive provided by the rider using a motor, a pedaling force is detected and the motor is controlled to deliver a supplemental drive force in accordance with the pedaling force. Among bicycle riding techniques, there is a particular bicycle mounting technique called the “cowboy mount” or “side mount” in which a rider places one foot on a pedal and kicks the ground with the other foot while holding the handlebar. When starting into motion using this particular mounting technique, there are times when a large pedaling force is detected and a supplemental force is delivered against the wishes of the user. In order to suppress the occurrence of such situations, a known technology is proposed that does not execute an assistance control until a prescribed amount of time has elapsed after the bicycle starts into motion (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 4-358987).
There is also a known technology that uses a motor to electrically change gears of an external transmission. An example of this known technology is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-008062. The external transmission cannot change gears unless the bicycle crank rotates. Thus, the conventional technology detects if the bicycle crank is rotating and executes a gear change control such that the motor does not operate when the bicycle crank is not rotating.